Rice expected to postpone July 16-20 Mideast trip

WASHINGTON, July 12 (Reuters) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to postpone her planned trip to the West Asia and Africa next week, sources familiar with the matter said today.

The sources, who spoke on condition that they not be named, gave no reason for the expected decision. Earlier, US President George W Bush said he was sending Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to the West Asia in early August.

The State Department this week said Rice would travel to Ramallah, Jerusalem and Accra, where she was to discuss trade and economic issues with African officials, in her first trip to the region since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas victory has transformed the Palestinian political and security landscape and effectively divided the Palestinians between the West Bank, which is governed by President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, and Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas.

Rice last visited Israel and the West Bank in March, when she announced that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas planned to meet every two weeks -- a schedule that the two politically weakened leaders were unable to meet.

REUTERS AM RK2150